Secularisation in the 1990s

The Netherlands is a highly secularised country. Church membership is relatively low, and little credence is given to dogma. Will this situation continue unchanged, or will the need for some kind of spiritual fulfilment ultimately manifest itself more forcefully? The Netherlands Institute for Social Research/SCP has already reported on the situation in the Netherlands with regard to religion and ideology (Secularisatie in Nederland, 1966-1991 (Secularisation in the Netherlands, 1966-1991) (1994); Secularisatie en alternatieve zingeving in Nederland (Secularisation and alternative forms of spiritual fulfilment in the Netherlands) (1997)). This study follows on from those two earlier studies. New data on church membership and ideology have been analysed, and an attempt made to establish how sensitive Dutch Islam is to the process of secularisation. Memberships of church and religious communities, including Islam, are forecast up to 2010.